Ensign Services (Ensign), a commercial laundry in the Australian Capital Territory, employs Leckie, who has Down syndrome.
Leckie’s job involves folding towels, washers, sheets and other items and then counting and bundling the laundry with the correct number of each item in each bundle.
As a result of her Down syndrome, she is slower to complete tasks than her peers, can only follow simple instructions and has difficulty concentrating and communicating.
With the support of Disability Employment Network member, Job Solve, and the Supported Wage System, Ensign has been able to employ Leckie full time for over 10 years by matching her productivity with a fair wage.
Eligible people with disability can access a reliable process of productivity based wage assessment to determine fair pay for fair work through the Supported Wage System.
In Leckie’s case, her productivity was assessed at 70 per cent compared with her peers. Therefore, her employer can legally pay Leckie 70 per cent of award wages. This means that Ensign has gained a reliable employee and Leckie has gained an opportunity to participate in the competitive, open labour market.
Job Solve also provides ongoing assistance to Leckie and Ensign, including:
- fortnightly meetings with Leckie’s manager and supervisor to work through any issues
- liaison with Leckie’s other support providers, for example transport to and from work
- backup assistance if other support arrangements fall through.
Most people with disability are able to work at full wage rate, but if your business would benefit from employing someone to whom you could not pay full wage rates, the Disability Employment Network and the Support Wage System can help.
Through the Supported Wage System, the Australian Government funds approved assessors to determine a worker’s productivity as a percentage of the normal rate. This service is free of charge to employers. As a result, the employer and employee can agree to ongoing employment at a pay rate equivalent to the employee’s performance as a percentage of the normal productivity rate.
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